ALfheim Online (Neji)
is a Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game ( ) in the Sword Art Online: Annulment fanfiction series written by Yasuda Izumi that was released a year after the beginning of the «Sword Art Online» incident. It is compatible with any device. The game features nine races of fairies, whose goal is to reach the top of the giant , in order to meet the . It was said that Oberon would turn the first starting race to reach the top of the World Tree into the legendary race of ALFs, with the ability to fly for an unlimited time, but this later proved to be a lie. After the defeat of Sugō Nobuyuki, gained ownership of it and removed the flight limiter (However, they added it back in when the floating continents of Svart Alfheim were implemented after an update). It is the setting for the Fairy Dance Arc of the series as well as the setting for the Mother's Rosario and Twin Calibur side stories. Instead of the level system that Sword Art Online emphasized, ALfheim Online pursues skill development and encourages , since it does not end in actual player death. This kind of system attempts to eliminate the enormous gap between new and old players that exists in level-based games. Background SAO's creator, , worked on ALO after the official release of SAO. He had created a second Cardinal System to watch over ALO and he added extra skills that can be accessed by multiple people unlike in SAO. After glancing at the progress of the players trapped within SAO ten months after release, Professor Kayaba noted that they had cleared the 50th floor successfully. He decides to log in himself since he is the final boss but he also decides to disguise himself as a player until he was uncovered by Shiki's sharp eyes. Professor Kayaba died on November 27, 2024, after Shiki dueled him to the death and rose victorious on the 100th floor. Professor Nobuyuki then managed to transfer a total of 285 players into ALO for his nefarious research but he was also stopped by Shiki who gruesomely killed his avatar when she launched a rescue operation to free her sister and other SAO players. In the real world, Nobuyuki then attempted to actually murder Shioko but she managed to reverse the blade in his hand and let him impale himself. System The system makes the player choose one of nine races of fairies for their , each with different abilities and affinities toward magic. Unlike Sword Art Online's system, the player has their game avatar created randomly and only have the freedom to choose their avatar name and select the race of the character. However, for an extra fee, players can reconstruct their characters to their liking. The gender of the player's avatar will match the player's gender in real life by default, and the player cannot change it by any means. Skills are developed by the player's own abilities and by repeating them over and over, so a new player with good skills can match a veteran player almost evenly in battle. The game is famous for being the first game to allow the player to fly for real. It uses a flight engine to enable the player to fly. The flight system also focuses on the player's own ability. It has a "controlled flight" mode, in which the players make use of a controller to fly, at the cost of being able to use only one hand to fight, but, with enough experience and ability, the player is able to learn «Voluntary Flight» and, with it, can use both hands while flying and gains more maneuverability and speed. Virtual Reality Experience As ALO was also created by Professor Kayaba as a complete virtual reality MMORPG, the ALO system is capable of rendering the entire ALfheim environment with incredible realism, extremely similar to the level of SAO. By stimulating nerves in the brain, it is possible to taste the food, feel the wind and weather, move one's body, and live in ALO as if it were an alternate reality. However, there are several major differences that set the ALO environment apart from the real-world experience. First, no pain is actually felt in any situation due to a feature called «Pain Absorption». As a result, gamers can undergo severe injuries and still only feel a tingling sensation. Though certain stimulation, such as magical explosions, can result in negative feedback, like headaches and dizziness that last for several hours. Second, there is no blood; in its place are orange virtual gashes that are seen in the place of damage. Third, magic is implemented to produce a variety of effects, with the incantations being based on strings of words. While playing ALfheim Online, gamers still feel fatigue and hunger (even if their real bodies are not hungry), yet they can also eat in-game to dispel hunger in the real world, which has developed into a form of dieting for some people as a result. Death or deletion in the game is visualized by fragmentation into thousands of polygon shards. All monsters and items go through such a process. However, players go through a different death scenario: they are engulfed in flames and then leave a which lingers for a set amount of time, during which the player can still observe his or her surroundings and be revived with magic or special items. ALfheim Online has a «Moral Code» feature similar to that of SAO, however, they are not exactly the same and ALO's cannot be disabled. Environment According to Yui, the environmental data is much like SAO in its code, but the only primary differences are the overlay of changing appearances of creatures, character data, and altered programming of AI's as navis (navigation pixies). Global Setting The original ALfheim Online was set in the continent of Alfheim, which was divided into territories, the main ones consisting of racial territories and the minor or smaller ones being controlled by neutral players. At the center of the land was the neutral city of , which was at the base of the World Tree. Upon the release of New ALO after the scandal generated by Professor Nobuyuki, a patch was later included to introduce , the floating castle, to ALfheim. The original basis of ALO is that of a land of fairies, which seek an audience with the king, Oberon. The naming of the fairy king, Oberon, and his queen, Titania, suggests that it holds its roots in the Shakespearean play A Midsummer Night's Dream. Aside from that ALO seems to draw from a wide range of mythologies, including the Arthurian Excalibur, and the naming of the nine realms of Norse mythology like Jötunheimr. The influence of Norse mythology is more emphasized in the evil gods of and the quest related to them. Yet the appearance of the deities, or Aesir, from the Norse forum, is also present such as , , Verdandi, and Skuld. Gameplay Initiation and Character Creation Upon first signing in to ALO, a player must first select a race, each of which has special attributes and skills unique to their race; however, the appearance of the selected character is randomized. Customization of the visual aspects of the character are allowed later on, but every change requires an additional fee. After the race is selected, they will be spawned in the race's hometown. Races * : Skilled beast tamers with improved eyesight. They are recognizable through their cat ears and tails. There is a rare avatar that exists only when Shiki created her Cait Sith avatar. Instead of cat ears and tail, she has the features of a fox girl. * : Largest fairy race and users of the earth. They are styled in brown. * : Masters of night, great night vision. They are styled in purple. * : Blacksmith race, their wings have a mechanical appearance. * : Users of music which is used to confuse, attack, or support. * : Considered the strongest race in terms of attack, they have superior fire spells and are styled in red. * : Masters of illusion and treasure seeking. They are styled in black. * : Considered the fastest race and users of wind, they are denoted by the color green regularly. * : Healers and masters of water. They are styled in blue. * : A non-playable race controlled by AI that players can obtain by paying additional fees, or winning a raffle. *'ALFs': The rumored legendary race with unlimited flight. It was believed that the first of the available starting races in ALfheim Online to reach the top of the World Tree and gain an audience with Fairy King Oberon would be elevated to ALFs and granted the joys of unlimited height and no time limit of flying. Many players were disappointed to find out that this race did not exist at all. Main Menu The main menu is more or less the same as Sword Art Online's original interface but with minor key differences, such as the status of the player no longer incorporating experience, but rather skill mastery instead. However, the main menu is called out using the left hand countering that of how SAO's menu was opened using the right hand. *'Inventory/equipment': The icon for the category is a character icon. This is the default screen when opening the Menu interface. The left screen is an image of the body, with multiple points that allow the gamer to equip items or clothes. The right screen has three sub-menus: **'Equipment': Selecting this sub-menu will open another three sub-menus: ***'Weapons': The icon for this category is a sword like the one used in Equipment. ***'Equipped': The icon for this category is an armor. ***'Accessory': The icon for this category is a necklace. **'Items': Selecting this sub-menu will open an additional scrolling screen on the left that lists all items. When an item is selected, it materializes in front of the player. The inventory turns red when a player has too many items. *'Friends/Guild': The icon for the category is two character icons together. The right screen has three sub-menus: **'Party': Selecting this sub-menu will open three additional options. The first is "Create", the second is "Invite", and the third is "Dissolve". **'Friend': Selecting this sub-menu will reveal a list of a player's friends. Selecting a single friend will produce three additional options: "Message Box", "Position Check", and "Profile". **'Guild': Allows the player to check their guild status, such as whether or not they are in a Guild. *'Communications': The icon for this category is two chat box icons together. The icon flashes automatically whenever a player receives a message. **'Befriend': This option allows the player to send a friend request to another player. The other player is added to the Friend List if the request is accepted. **'Trade': This option opens a trade window with another player. Trading can be used just to show another player items, or complete a trade after both parties accept the offers put forth. **'Duel': This option allows the player to send a request. The player being challenged has the privilege of selecting one of the available duel modes. *'Maps/Quest': The icon for the category is a balloon location icon. The right screen has three sub-menus: **'Field Map': Selecting this sub-menu will reveal a map showing the player's location on the field. **'Dungeon Map': Selecting this sub-menu will reveal a map of the dungeon that the player has explored. **'Quest': Selecting this sub-menu will open the player's quest window, displaying all the quests that the player has accepted and their description. *'Settings/Main-menu': The icon for the category is a gear. The right screen has three sub-menus: **'Option''' **'Help': Selecting "Help" will call a GM (Game Master) on the left screen. **'Logout': The logout button is available with a quick log-out in a safe area and a 15-minute log-out in a soulless state, in which the player can be attacked if the player attempts to log out in the field. Combat Combat in ALO contains multiple elements and strategies. With the introduction of flight, it allows for to take place in both the air or the ground. were already implemented into ALO because of Professor Kayaba's thinking and duels were pretty much the same as in SAO. Shiki stated that it reminded her of a Total Loss duel she had with Kirei on the 7th floor and her final battle against Heathcliff (Professor Kayaba) on the 100th floor. In the newer version of ALfheim Online, the introduction of the Original Sword Skill system allowed for combat to diversify since it allowed the player to invent their own sword skills, and duels could be set to be either flying or ground duels. Duels, like in Sword Art Online, are of three types: First Blood, Half-Health, and Total Loss. When a player dies, they will become a and lose some of their stat progress. The attacker will also receive some of the killed player's items and currency. If a player dies due to , they will suffer a much greater death penalty than for normal deaths. Battles with monsters were more or less the exact same as in SAO. Equipment Ranks Under the management of Ymir, equipment also got tiers, like magic. ;Rank 1 :The simplest equipment. It can be found anywhere in low-level areas and can be forged by anyone with a level in blacksmithing. Divination is a weapon that can be found in this tier. ;Rank 2 :One tier higher, Rank 2 equipment will need to have the player clear a prerequisite before being able to equip it. Since it is only Rank 2, the prerequisite will be extremely easy to accomplish. Beginner blacksmiths can also forge Rank 2 equipment. ;Rank 3 :The last tier of the basic equipment, it is also the highest tier that beginner blacksmiths can forge. Like Rank 2 weapons, a prerequisite needs to be met before one is able to equip and like Rank 2 weapons, the prerequisite is usually easy to meet. ;Rank 4 :Intermediate equipment begins with Rank 4. Skilled blacksmiths will find it easy to forge such equipment. Prerequisites will start leaning more towards the hard side from here. ;Rank 5 :The second tier of intermediate equipment, skilled blacksmiths will find it easy to forge this type of equipment although a little more time will be needed. ;Rank 6 :The last tier of intermediate equipment, skilled blacksmiths will find it rather hard to forge this type of equipment although equipment in this tier will be easier to find in rather high-level areas. ;Rank 7 :Advanced equipment with a rather grueling prerequisite, blacksmiths who have completed their skill in the craft will find it time-consuming to forge these even with their skill. ;Rank 8 :The highest tier player-made equipment can go. One cannot forge equipment higher than Rank 8. ;Rank 9 :Only obtainable through hard quests, Rank 9 equipment is equipment that transcends into the divine. Demigods would most likely have Rank 9 equipment on hand. Prerequisites for equipping a Rank 9 equipment will be extremely harsh. The katana Takemikazuchi Hachishiki is one such weapon in this tier. ;Rank 10 :The highest tier of equipment. Rank 10 equipment can be considered divine equipment. Only certain very-high-difficulty quests will give a Rank 10 reward. Prerequisites for equipping a Rank 10 will be extremely harsh, quite possibly harsher than Rank 9's. The Holy Sword Excalibur is one such weapon in this tier. Magic System Under Sugō's Dev Team Before the OSS Implementation update, the magic system of ALO was pretty bland. There were four basic magical elements, , , , and . Besides these four elements, there are two extraneous elements that deal neutral damage against other elements but are strong against each other: , and . Spell difficulty was only measured by the number of lines used to cast the spell: the more lines the more complicated the spell. Sword skills were the other half of magic in ALO and they had only one property, . Other than this, magic was very simple. Under After the Sugō Nobuyuki incident ended, the developers of ALfheim Online shut down the game on the evening of January 6, 2024. For one month, the game was put out of commission as the ownership of the game was passed to another company. The game was kept shut down as since the new company had begun to rework the workings of the game until it was reopened on the sixth of February 2025. With this long maintenance, the game went back online and did not disappoint the new players. The first major change was the implementation of the Original Sword Skill system which allowed players to create their own sword skills. The next change also regarded sword skills as it added elemental damage properties to them so they are not purely Physical damage. Another change was to the magic system which separated magic into individual tiers. Magic Tiers ;Tier 1 :The basic of the basic. Spells in this category can be activated with one word although sometimes, an experienced magic user may not need to say anything to activate a Tier 1 spell. ;Tier 2 :Still very basic but is more difficult than first-tier spells. Spells in this category may take two or three words to activate, although an experienced mage would need none. ;Tier 3 :The final tier of basic spells. This is the first tier where one line will need to be chanted to activate the spell. This is also the final tier where even the most talented mages would be forced to use more than one Word. ;Tier 4 :Intermediate magic spells begins here. Two lines are needed to use spells from this tier. ;Tier 5 :The second tier of intermediate magic. Spells from this tier use three lines. ;Tier 6 :The final tier of intermediate magic. Spells from this tier use four lines. ;Tier 7 :Advanced magic spells begins here. Spells from this tier use five lines. ;Tier 8 :The second and final tier of advanced magic. Spells from this tier vary the usage of lines with the relatively simple ones using six and the hardest using nine. ;Tier 9 :Magic that transcends into the divine realm. Usage of this magic is not possible from normal training. It can only be inherited from certain magic NPC teachers or clearing quests. It is not surprising for magic from this tier to use fifteen or more lines. ;Tier 10 :Magic of the highest caliber. Players are not experienced enough to wield this magic no matter how much they train their magical capabilities. Only select NPCs that help players on certain quests have the ability to use tenth-tier magic. Rankings Like SAO, ALO has a ranking system. However, unlike ALO, rankings are recorded in books called the Named Charts. Only the top 72 players are shown in them. The top 12 players are known as Page Ones and are given rewards from the GMs (Game Masters aka moderators) for maintaining that rank. These rewards can include, early info on not-yet-implemented quests, bonus equipment, and extra currency. To make it easier, the GMs made 9 separate Named Charts for each of the nine races in ALO. There is a master Named Chart that shows the top 72 players in all of ALO, instead of the top 72 within each race. Page Ones who are strong enough to show up in both their race's Named Chart as well as the master Named Chart will receive even more rewards from the GMs. Updates Original Sword Skill System Implementation This update was implemented four months (February 10, 2025) after the SAO death game had been cleared. It allowed for players to create their own sword skills. They could either keep it for themselves or they could put the OSS into a scroll and give it to one other player. This update boosted the level cap from 300 to 400. The Singularities This update occurred two months (March 8, 2025) after the OSS system was implemented. It opened up a limited area that had to be cleared within the week. Upon entering the area, a Grand Quest is activated. This was based on the Grand Quests that Professor Kayaba had introduced into Aincrad's floors. The first Singularity introduced was Blackened Camelot and it is where Shiki obtained her Demonic Sword Excalibur Morgan and her unique skill Secretcalibur. It is also where Rain learned the Nebular Empress unique skill. Every other week, a new Singularity is unlocked and is given a one-week timeframe to clear all quests within it. This update boosted the level cap from 400 to 500. Svart Alfheim Update This update occurred just three weeks after the Singularities. It opened a new area, Svart Alfheim, which was consisted of floating islands. Woglinde, Wellgunde and Flosshilde were the three islands of Svart Alfheim. This update also boosted the max level cap from 500 to 1000.